NPL Site Narrative for Northwest Transformer (South Harkness Street)

NORTHWEST TRANSFORMER (SOUTH HARKNESS STREET)Everson, Washington

Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): Northwest Transformer started to refurbish and manufacture transformers in 1958 on South Harkness Street, a mixed-use area of downtown Everson, Whatcom County, Washington. The company transferred its storage and salvage operations from its Mission and Pole Road salvage yard south of Everson to the downtown site after the salvage yard underwent an EPA emergency removal in 1985 and was placed on the NPL in 1986. By 1987, the company had ceased operations at South Harkness Street.

At the South Harkness Street Site, which covers less than 1 acre, Northwest Transformer stores transformers, drums, and bulk tanks outdoors in an unpaved yard. A Washington Department of Ecology inspection in December 1985 detected high levels of PCBs in on-site soils. Soils are permeable, and the ground water is shallow (11.5 feet) in some places at the site. These conditions facilitate movement of contaminants into ground water. Wells within 3 miles of the site are used by over 10,000 people for drinking and for irrigation. Surface water from the area is used for irrigation.

Status (February 21, 1990): EPA is considering various alternatives for the site.

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at ATSDR - ToxFAQs (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp) or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.